In the U23 race, Tom Pidcock (Telenet Fidea Lions) bounced back from a disappointing U23 World Championships to beat World Champion Eli Iserbyt (Marlux-Bingoal) at Middelkerke. Pidcock, however, missed several of the races and finished fifth in the overall series.

Sieben Wouters (Pauwels Sauzen-Vastgoedservice) entered the race with a six-point lead, and although he finished tenth on Saturday, he held on for the overall series win ahead of Adam Toupalik (Corendon-Circus).

In the Junior race, Niels Vandeputte (IKO-Beobank) joined teammate Cant on the top step of the Middelkerke podium. The overall series win went to second-place finisher Tomas Kopecky (Acrog-Balen), who leap-frogged Ryan Kamp (ZZPR Orange Baby Handclean) after the latter rider had an off day.

]]>http://www.cxmagazine.com/tomas-kopecky-sieben-wouters-u23-junior-2017-2018-telenet-superprestige-middelkerke/feed0116579Mathieu van der Poel Super Again at 2018 Superprestige Middelkerke – Report, Resultshttp://www.cxmagazine.com/mathieu-van-der-poel-dominant-2018-superprestige-middelkerke-report-results
http://www.cxmagazine.com/mathieu-van-der-poel-dominant-2018-superprestige-middelkerke-report-results#respondSat, 17 Feb 2018 15:30:21 +0000http://www.cxmagazine.com/?p=116558Mathieu van der Poel had the 2017/18 Superprestige series locked up before Saturday's race at Middelkerke. Would it be a victory lap for the dominant Dutchman? Get the story in our report and results.

After a disappointing third-place finish at the World Championships marred Mathieu van der Poel’s otherwise magical 2017/18 campaign, the Dutch phenom still had consolation prizes in the DVV Trofee and Telenet Superprestige overall series to lock down after Worlds. Although, if you asked Van der Poel, he would certainly rather have the rainbow stripes than the nice paydays that accompany the season-long series success.

All season long, the only rider who has been able to come close to matching Van der Poel’s blistering attacks is Van Aert. Not surprisingly, Van der Poel hit the line at Middelkerke as the odds-on favorite. Although, he was the heavy favorite at the World Championships as well, so that’s why they race the races, as they say.

Early on, Worlds second-place finisher Michael Vanthourenhout (Marlux-Bingoal) drove the pace while Van der Poel got caught up in traffic after a slow start. The field formed a large mass near the front, and after one lap, there was a string of almost 15 riders behind Vanthourenhout.

As the second lap progressed, Van der Poel slowly but surely made his way toward the head of the large lead group. One-by-one, he picked off riders and asserted himself. With two laps in the books, it was him, David van der Poel (Corendon-Circus), Vanthourenhout and Tim Merlier (Crelan-Charles) at the front.

Given Van der Poel’s favorite status, the question of the race was perhaps, during which lap is Van der Poel going to attack and then ride solo? On Saturday, the answer was the third.

Merlier led into the long sand pit, but had to awkwardly dismount in the deep pit. Van der Poel, who is known for having fun in the sand, stayed on his bike and plowed ahead of the dismounted Merlier and Vanthourenhout. He had a gap, he turned on his five-minute power, and he opened up a ten-second lead. Merlier and Vanthourenhout kept it at about ten seconds for maybe a lap, but then Van der Poel started to extend his lead and show there would be no topping him on the afternoon.

It may feel like a distant memory now, but Kaptheijns ripped through the first half of the Superprestige calendar, winning four races in the month of October alone. After a long lull in the heart of the season, including a disappointing 25th at the World Championships in Valkenburg-Limburg, Kaptheijns has returned to form and finished second behind Cant at both races last weekend.

With Katie Compton (KFC Racing p/b Trek/Knight Composites) back at home in Colorado, Belgian fans were hoping for one last great battle between Cant and Kaptheijns to cap off the Superprestige calendar. Much to their delight, the two delivered.

Cant and Kaptheijns got to the front of the race early on. In the first few laps, they were joined by Helen winner Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Corendon-Circus). Midway through the race, Cant and Kaptheijns were off the front in a two-up battle for the Superprestige title, and Del Carmen Alvarado joined Loes Sels (Crelan-Charles) and Laura Verdonschot (Marlux-Bingoal) in a three-woman battle for the third podium spot.

The sun was shining in Middelkerke and the course was not a mudfest like many races this season, but technical mistakes still played a role in the battle between Cant and Kaptheijns. Early on, Cant had struggles with the long sand pit, while Kaptheijns was able to capitalize as she had during wins at Zonhoven and Koksijde.

Sanne Cant has shown she can ride in any conditions, but if there has been an aspect of races where she has been exemplary this year, it has been her last-lap attacks. With two to go, Kaptheijns took the lead, and Cant showed she was content to let the Dutchwoman do some work ahead of the laatste ronde. The two hit the line together for the bell and pretty much everyone in the venue knew what was coming next.

Early in the bell lap, Cant pulled ahead of Kaptheijns and opened up a few bike lengths of breathing room. Then on one of the few muddy sections, a run-up, Cant got her winning gap. Kaptheijns hesistated on the incline while trying to find her footing. The pause was only a few seconds, but give an opportunity to Sanne Cant in the last lap and she knows what to do with it.

Cant attacked, looked back, and kept attacking. What was once a few bike lengths was now seven seconds. Cant had a slow dismount in the long, deep sand pit, but Kaptheijns struggled more as her legs teetered at the red line, and the last threat to Cant’s victory was defused.

Cant wrapped up the Telenet Superprestige overall title and picked up (unofficially) her 19th win of the 2017/18 season. Kaptheijns took her third-straight second and Verdonschot was the best in the chase during the last lap and took the third podium spot.

]]>http://www.cxmagazine.com/sanne-cant-wins-2018-superprestige-middelkerke-overall-series-report-results/feed0116555Ellen Noble Signs With Trek Factory Racing, Will Race UCI Mountain Bike World Cups This Summerhttp://www.cxmagazine.com/ellen-noble-trek-factory-racing-2018-cyclocross-mountain-bike-world-cups
http://www.cxmagazine.com/ellen-noble-trek-factory-racing-2018-cyclocross-mountain-bike-world-cups#respondFri, 16 Feb 2018 20:43:43 +0000http://www.cxmagazine.com/?p=116524Ellen Noble has signed with the Trek Factory Racing team for the upcoming season. Noble will be racing a full cyclocross schedule and select mountain bike World Cups for her new team.

On Thursday, Trek Factory Racing announced it has signed Noble to its Cross Country team for the upcoming season. Noble will race in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups this summer and then return to the cyclocross course this fall. Noble raced primarily on the road in 2017, but is now returning to her preferred summer discipline. She is a two-time mountain bike national champion and finished sixth at the 2016 U23 Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup in Canada.

Racing with Trek is not new territory for Noble. She was a member of the Trek Cyclocross Collective from 2012 to 2014 and won the 2013 Junior National Championship with the team.

“I am beyond excited to be joining Trek Factory Racing for 2018 and beyond. Going back to my roots and racing mountain on the team that I’ve aspired to ride for since I was young feels like such a blessing. I will be targeting select World Cups, as well as the National Championships. I am so thankful for all the support of my previous teams over the last few years who helped develop me to get to this point. I am very excited to begin racing for Trek again, and begin this new chapter.”

Noble will be joined on the Trek Factory team by Evie Richards of Great Britain.

Richards, the U23 cyclocross world champion, competed in several U23 Mountain Bike World Cups last season and will be expanding her race schedule this year as a fully-supported rider. Richards commented on the upcoming season in the release:

“I am so excited to get this MTB season in full swing with my first pro contact racing for Trek Factory. It’s going to be a really busy year with the Commonwealth Games and two World Cups outside Europe, but I like being busy so I can’t wait! It will also be my first full World Cups series, which will give me the chance to race in so many amazing locations and enable me to learn from the team to be the best I can be on the MTB.”

Stay tuned for more on Noble’s new team and how she will be balancing mountain bike racing with her cyclocross career.

]]>http://www.cxmagazine.com/ellen-noble-trek-factory-racing-2018-cyclocross-mountain-bike-world-cups/feed0116524CX Tokyo Stars Meredith Miller, Locals Sakaguchi, Takenouchi – Photos, Resultshttp://www.cxmagazine.com/2018-cyclocross-tokyo-japan-meredith-miller-sakaguchi-seika-yu-takenouchi-photos-results
http://www.cxmagazine.com/2018-cyclocross-tokyo-japan-meredith-miller-sakaguchi-seika-yu-takenouchi-photos-results#respondWed, 14 Feb 2018 22:41:24 +0000http://www.cxmagazine.com/?p=116378Cyclocross Tokyo did its best to go out with a bang in 2018. American Meredith Miller raced and several Japanese riders returned home from the European stage. See a photo gallery and results from the racing.

]]>The end-of-season party at Cyclocross Tokyo went down this past weekend as planned even though the field lacked the international star power it has seen in the past.

The race is a non-UCI event, and with the UCI enforcing a rule that prohibits riders in the top 50 of the UCI rankings from competing in non-UCI events outside their home country, Cyclocross Tokyo was unable to bring top talent such as Jeremy Powers, Tim Johnson, Kerry Werner and Katie Compton as it has in the past.

The field, was, however, not entirely devoid of top U.S. riders. Former pro and freshly-minted singlespeed national champion Meredith Miller (Rapha Cycling Club) made the trip to Japan to help put on a clinic and line up for the race.

The translated race results reported her name as “Meredith Mirror,” suggesting after her singlespeed success, she may be following in the footsteps of noted post-retirement singlespeed star Stan Nice in putting on good shows for fans across the globe.

With top international talent staying home, the fields were primarily Japanese. In the Women’s field, Miho Imai (CO2 Bicycle) lined up after racing at Worlds in Valkenburg-Limburg, and for the men, Hiraku Kosaka (Utsunomiya Britzen) and Yu Takenouchi (Toyo Frame) also raced after also making the trip to the Netherlands.

Meredith Miller had an impressive ride in the Women’s race and finished second behind Kiyoka Sakaguchi (S-Familia). Worlds racer Imai rounded out the podium in third.

Takenouchi did an extended European campaign this season, and his experience at the sport’s highest level paid off with a win in the Elite Men’s race. Kosaka finished second and Kohei Maeda (Yowamushi Pedal Cycling Team) finished third.

]]>http://www.cxmagazine.com/2018-cyclocross-tokyo-japan-meredith-miller-sakaguchi-seika-yu-takenouchi-photos-results/feed0116378Cant, Van Der Poel Lead Tight Telenet Superprestige Standings With One Race Left (Updated)http://www.cxmagazine.com/telenet-superprestige-standings-2017-2018-sanne-cant-mathieu-van-der-poel
http://www.cxmagazine.com/telenet-superprestige-standings-2017-2018-sanne-cant-mathieu-van-der-poel#respondTue, 13 Feb 2018 19:08:23 +0000http://www.cxmagazine.com/?p=116250Sanne Cant and Mathieu van der Poel lead tight 2017/18 Telenet Superprestige standings with one race left this weekend. See updated standings and what to watch for at Middlekerke this Saturday.

Season-long series in cyclocross reward consistent performances (and maybe a little bit of luck) over several months. Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon-Circus) locked up both the World Cup and DVV series with a few races left, and Katie Compton (KFC Racing p/b Trek/Knight Composites) dominated the IJsboerke Trofee series and Sanne Cant (IKO-Beobank) the World Cup.

Of the three season series — the Telenet UCI World Cup, Telenet Superprestige and DVV/IJsboerke Trofee — the Superprestige has produced the most season-end drama.

Heading into Sunday’s Superprestige race at Hoogstraten, Cant and Maud Kaptheijns (Crelan-Charles) were tied in the Women’s series, and Wout van Aert held a one-point lead on Van der Poel despite the Dutchman’s season-long dominance.

Mathieu van der Poel got back to his winning ways this past weekend. After take top honors Saturday, he also took over first overall in the Telenet Superprestige series. 2018 DVV Lille Krawatencross.

One race remains in the Superprestige series this Saturday in Middelkerke. The series standings award 15 points for 1st, 14 for 2nd, 13 for 3rd, etc., so the overall Women’s winner will be decided on the course this Saturday. The Men’s winner gets a €30,000 pay day and the Women’s winner gets €6,000. Payouts total €85,000 for the Men’s field and €15,000 for the Women’s.

]]>http://www.cxmagazine.com/telenet-superprestige-standings-2017-2018-sanne-cant-mathieu-van-der-poel/feed0116250Katie Compton: A Deep Cut Ends Full Seasonhttp://www.cxmagazine.com/katie-compton-deep-cut-disc-brake-rotor-lille-ends-full-season
http://www.cxmagazine.com/katie-compton-deep-cut-disc-brake-rotor-lille-ends-full-season#respondMon, 12 Feb 2018 17:30:53 +0000http://www.cxmagazine.com/?p=116227Katie Compton had a full, successful season racing cyclocross, but in her last race in Lille, a disc brake rotor cut gave the champ a painful ending to her season.

As we reported on Saturday, while wrapping up her Ijsboerke Ladies Trophy at Saturday’s race in Lille, 14-time Elite National Champion Katie Compton got caught up in an early crash, and cut her knee (and shoe’s Boa cable) on a disc brake rotor.

Compton went on to chase back after a shoe change to finish the race in seventh and claim the series title, but now photos have emerged from Compton and husband Mark Legg that show just how bad that cut was. Hold onto your lunch:

What happens when two riders make poor decisions and can’t be patient on the first lap and squeeze Katie into a crash? Disc rotor cut to the bone. Not a happy way to end a great season pic.twitter.com/7ORlxqWXh0

Now perhaps it’s Trebon’s turn to pour salt in the wound with a little ribbing, or perhaps give Compton props for finishing up the DVV Race in Lille with such an injury.

As for the danger of disc brake rotors, the UCI and manufacturers have been working to chamfer the edges of rotors to increase safety and address concerns about their danger, especially in road racing, but it’s unclear as to whether the rotors that cut Compton was one of the updated models.

This past summer, Jeremy Powers attempted to demonstrate how SRAM’s latest rotors are “a game changer”:

After a full, successful season, the one upside to the timing of Compton’s injury is that it happened in her final race and did not impact her series win.